How bad was this thing I did? (2nd dive ever)

[J322Y]

That's got to be some of the most beautiful under water video footage I have ever seen.

BHB is one of the more famous muck dive sites in the world. In 2013 Sport Diver magazine rated it in the top 50 dive sites in the world.

Most of the great photography probably doesn't take place on the snorkel trail where I was, but you can see a huge variety of sea life at BHB.

PS. Careful what you say, the trolls might come out!

 

[J322Y]

Why would you use a camera in 10 ft of water? or have a tank on if you weren’t doing some sort of u/w work?

Mostly I took it so that I could use it if, and only if, I felt comfortable. I already knew BHB was a mecca for photographers.

I had a tank on because I love having a tank on my back. I would wear a tank into my community pool if they would let me (and it was deeper than 4 feet!). Seriously though, my diving now is 80% working on technique and familiarity with the gear, and 20% sightseeing at points where I think it's appropriate.

OP: Just you saying you needed to “gain control of your buoyancy” tells me you were all over the map and had no business using a camera this early. No offense, but between talk of 10 ft dives, “gaining control of my buoyancy”, cameras, nearly drowning and firearms, you sound like a train wreck and should not be allowed on the boat.

I almost spit out my drink when I read that. It's a pretty funny image; flopping around with a camera in one hand and pistol in the other while running into other divers and losing half my gear! When mentioned controlling buoyancy I should have probably said "check my buoyancy" instead. I wasn't exactly struggling with it, but I know I have a lot of work to do. This situation involved few people around and sandy bottom, so nothing too critical.

If you read the OP again you'll see that my buddy said I handled myself very well for my level of experience. On the Largo dive I mentioned all of the seasoned divers went out of their way to mention that I didn't look like a novice in the water. No doubt I have a ton to learn, but I think my age and experience in other fields is helping me a lot in diving.

About the firearms; I've trained with them for several years, and I mentioned it because I think it has some parallels to diving. Mainly, it's a sport where you're dealing with some extreme forces that can hurt/kill yourself or others around you if you neglect training or fail to maintain good discipline.

The comment I made about almost drowning comes from decades ago when kayak-like vessels were somewhat new. I was strapped into one when it rolled and was difficult to release the belt. I had a buddy nearby, but it was a great lesson about how dangerous a little water can be when something as simple as a buckle doesn't function as expected. In other words it was a dumb thing from youth. One of many.

PS: I hope a wave doesn’t knock your mask off your forehead.

MOF! Oh nooooooooo!

 

[RayfromTX]

Let me take a little of the heat off of you. I took and used a gopro to film all of my ow training dives. The video came out well and I stowed it easily when it was time to demonstrate skills required to pass. It wasn't a big deal.

I didn't use one for my AOW even though at that point I had many hours of experience in it's use underwater. The difference is the level of challenge and the seriousness that my AOW instructor provided in relation to the person that taught my OW. I'll watch the video from my first ow dive many years from now for a good chuckle.

I would imagine my situation is different from most. I had for instance dived to 60 feet in the currents of Cozumel prior to taking certification training and had my buoyancy and trim sorted prior to making my first dives with an instructor. Everybody is different. I feel obligated to say "don't do it like I did". shrug

 

[scubadada]

Ok, I'm am an older guy. I wish folks would work on their diving skills before they would bring a camera or video recorder. Digital has just made it too easy for everyone. Ok, back to the regularly scheduled program.

 

[Cali_diver]

Speaking from experience.... photographers and videographers are terrible buddies. Terrible.... I wouldn't blame anybody for not wanting either as a buddy.

 

[J322Y]

Ok, I'm am an older guy. I wish folks would work on their diving skills before they would bring a camera or video recorder. Digital has just made it too easy for everyone. Ok, back to the regularly scheduled program.

Thanks for the feedback.

I almost included a poll, because I understand that generally it's a bad idea for a novice to take a camera diving, but I'm curious if the details of this situation made it "less bad".

Maybe folks could include a badness rating of 1-10, 1 being "it's fine really under the circumstances" and 10 being "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!!!!!".

 

[Cali_diver]

Well I don't know if it matters at all to you, but becoming a better more experienced diver will automatically improve your videography skills. Not just with buoyancy, but with knowledge of the subjects and their behaviors. Have you looked at your video? Is it something you will watch again? Or will you just get back in the water? I would get as much experience as you can and learn about the ocean and it's amazing inhabitants. You can still take the camera attached to your BC, just save it for the really cool stuff that might surprise you.

 

[flyboy08]

You survived....your buddy has an ego....I see nothing wrong with your actions based off of your dive profile and description....remember, your dive your own profile once established with your buddy.

 

[CuzzA]

Speaking from experience.... photographers and videographers are terrible buddies. Terrible.... I wouldn't blame anybody for not wanting either as a buddy.

Which is why the buddy is probably complaining.

Task loading and complacency is often not realized until the incident.

OP, it sounds like what you're doing is harmless. It's when you start diving in more challenging conditions where the tasks and complacency can lead to an incident. Poor viz or a current that isn't terrible, but moves you off the site a good distance are perfect example.

I know, I've done it. You can read about it in the near misses forum... Sharks and all.

 

[J322Y]

Which is why the buddy is probably complaining.

Task loading and complacency is often not realized until the incident.

OP, it sounds like what you're doing is harmless. It's when you start diving in more challenging conditions where the tasks and complacency can lead to an incident. Poor viz or a current that isn't terrible, but moves you off the site a good distance are perfect example.

I know, I've done it. You can read about it in the near misses forum... Sharks and all.

I understand why people are skeptical.

I love life, and will do my best not to waste mine or anyone else's for a little video with a disposable camera.

For that matter, I wouldn't want to waste someone's time diving if they didn't want to wait for a photographer. When I was shooting video as in this case, I didn't even stop swimming other than a few seconds to check my buoyancy. My goal is to be an excellent buddy. I've already decided not to use a camera with the buddy in question. At least not for the near future.

Did I mention that this buddy is the woman I've been romantically involved with for 5 years?